Hydraulic conveyer



May 27; 1930.

W. (I. WHITCOMB HYDRAULIC CONVEYER Filed Jan. 6, 1928 Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM G. WHITGOMB, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GEO. D. WHITOOMB COMPANY, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS HYDRAULIC CONVEYER Application filed January 6, 1928. Serial No. 244,899.

This invention relates to hydraulic conveyers adapted for handling sand, silt, or other material suspended in a fluid, such as water, and for separating the heavier material from the fluid and depositing it in a bed or ridge. Apparatus of this kind may be used for building road beds through swampy lands, reclaiming land along waterways, building levees, filling in ridges or other formations with sand or silt and, generally, for separating sand or silt from water i which it is suspended or carried.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus of the character described intended for more efficient separation and handling of the material especially with regard to the percentage of sand or silt deposits in comparison with the volume of water handled and the sand or silt content thereof. In this regard my invention is especially desirable in the building of road beds over swampy lands. With apparatus heretofore employed for this purpose large volumes of water and silt had to be handled for reclaiming a comparatively small quantity of the silt and the deposit was spread over an area much larger than necessary for a road bed. With my lnventlon a comparatively higher percentage of the silt or sand,

as the case may be, is reclaimed and the de posits are localized and arranged in such proximity as to enable easy distribution of the material for forming a continuous road bed or ridge.

From the foregoing it will be observed that my invention is broadly applicable and contemplates any use to which the apparatus dlsclosed herein may be put.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in this art as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of apparatus embodying my invention, showing its application to the building of a road bed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such apparatus; Fig. 3 is a cross-section as on the line 33 otFig. 2; and

vention as applied to the building of a road bed designated by 5. The material, such as sand or silt, is obtained from a suitable source through a suction pi e 6. In road building through swampy lanc sthe supply is usually close by, although in these or other cases conditions may be such that the sand or silt laden water must be conveyed from a more remote source. In this instance a centrifugal pump 7 driven by a motor 8 creates a suction and propels the fluid through a conveyer pipe 9. This pipe is supported overhead by suitable trestle work 10 and arranged so that aconsiderable section of the pipe extends above and parallel with the proposed road bed.

The end 11 of the conveyer pipe discharges to one side in any suitable manner.

At spaced intervals between the suction end 6 and discharge end 11 of the conveyer pipe are arranged a series of settling chambers designated generally by 12. Each settling chamber is suitably interposed in the conveyer line or has such communication therewith as to collect sand or silt from the flow of water through the main pipe. In the present instance such heavier materials settle into the chambers 12 through openings 13. Each settling chamber is equipped at its bottom with a suitable valve 14 or other regulable means for controlling the discharge of the separated material. By properly spacingthe settling chambers the hill deposits 15 maybe in such proximity that by levelling the tops and distributing the material a continuous ridge or road bedis formed much more economically than is possible with It should also be understood that my invention is not confined to the number or arrangement of the settling chambers since in its application to different kinds of constructional work these would be arranged to suit the particular conditions and requirements.

I claim:

1. A hydraulic conveyer for handling sand or silt, comprising a conveyer pipe having a suction end, a discharge end, and a series of spaced intermediate discharge openings, and a settling chamber at each intermediate opening equipped at its bottom with a valve controlled outlet, whereby to collect sand or silt from a fluid current passing through said pipe and discharge it beneath each chamber, said chambers being arranged in such contiguous relationthat the deposits therefrom may be Worked into a continuous ridge.

2. Apparatus for building roads, levees, and the like, comprising a conveyer pipe having a suction end, a discharge end, andv an intermediate portion having a series of outlet openings at spaced intervals, means for supporting said pipe with said intermediate portion positioned above the bed to be formed, means for forcing a fluid current containing sand or silt through said-pipe from said suctionend towardsaid discharge end, and a settling chamber at each intermediate discharge opening having a valve for regulatingthe discharge to said bed of the heavier material whichsettles in such chambers, said chambers being'arrangedin such contiguous relation that the deposits discharged therefrom will be localized and may be worked into -a continuous ridge.

3. A hydraulic conveyer comprising a conveyer pipe having a suction end, a discharge end and an intermediate portion, a pump in the conveyer line for producing a forced fluid current therethrough, a series of settling chambers interposed in said intermediate portion in spaced relation for collecting sand or silt from said current, regulable means for discharging the sand or silt from said chambers, and means supporting said conveyer pipe with its said intermediate portion over a proposed bed, said chambers being arranged in such contiguous relation that the deposits discharged therefrom will be 10- calized and may be workediinto a continuous ridge.

4; A hydraulic conveyer comprising a conveyer'pipe having a suction end, a discharge end and an intermediate portion, said intermediate portion beingadapted to be'extended along a proposed line ofconstruction, a pump inthe conveyer line for producing a forced fluid current therefrom, a series of settling chambers" interposed in said intermediate portion in spaced relation, a section of pipe separating-successive chambers, the chambers being of such size as to but slightly decrease thevelocity of the water" passing therenature.

WILLIAM C. WHITCOMB. 

